


Ablaze

by missdavinas



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Canon-Typical Violence, Character Development, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Mad Targ Genes, Redemption, Robb is snarky, Warg Robb Stark
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-06
Updated: 2020-09-06
Packaged: 2021-03-07 03:00:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,206
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26319835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/missdavinas/pseuds/missdavinas
Summary: Elaena Targaryen is the last living daughter of Rhaegar Targaryen and Elia Martell. With fire in her veins, vengeance on her mind and a tongue laced with wolfsbane, the young princess intends to make her enemies pay in blood for the crimes against her family.That is until, Robb Stark gets in the way.
Relationships: Minor or Background Relationship(s), Robb Stark/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 25





	1. A Targaryen Alone In The World

ELAENA TARGARYEN HAD PLANNED ON KILLING ROBB STARK.

She'd planned on killing every Stark, every Lannister, every Baratheon, every noble man and woman; in basic terms, every cunt that held a title or power of some kind would have a dagger pierced through their hearts for the injustice they served to her family.

Rhaegar died for a Stark. Elia was killed at the orders of a Lannister. It was a Baratheon who waged war on the Targaryens. And it was everyone else who stood idly by as children were murdered in their sleep for their namesake. 

And she would make sure they suffered the same fate.

Unlike everyone else, Elaena wasn't playing the game. Despite her strong claim, she didn't want the iron throne. Not for any complicated or noble reason. She was just pre occupied with another goal.

She had the upper hand.

She didn't really think about what she was doing. She didn't care. Whether it made her a mad woman was irrelevant. Whether it killed her, was irrelevant.

All she knew was that she wanted all of them dead. So she simply paid attention to the voice in her head and... obeyed. 

But for one reason or another, the young princess couldn't do it. She couldn't kill the king or queen. She couldn't kill Robb. And now, she'd wished she had.

━━━

0\. A TARGARYEN ALONE IN THE WORLD.

WHEN ELAENA TARGARYEN WAS born, the nurses noted that she already had a sickly look about her. The child was premature by almost 2 moons and not a single maester- and there had been many- had suggested that she'd live long enough to see her first name day. Not even her own father believed it.

Rhaegar had been at war when he'd heard the news of his third child being born. At first, he was overjoyed but his happiness only lasted for a brief moment before he read the other half of the letter. 

It was filled with hopeless hope about how even though the little girl could be dead within the time that he received the letter, she may still live. But Rhaegar didn't believe it. He knew better— he should've known better from the start, really. So he gave up on hope.

The maester's had warned that Elia wouldn't survive a third birth or that if she did it was because the child most likely wouldn't. But Rhaegar ignored them. He knew of the prophecy. The dragon had three heads.

Elia, being so in love with him, disregarded her own health and well-being and agreed with her husband. She wanted to bear as many children as she possibly could and if the child was ill then she would simply nurse it back to health.

In the eyes of women who knew no better than to be a good mother and wife, it was admirable, truly. But in the eyes of her brother Oberyn who, despite having an already reckless disposition, wasn't willing to be so flippant about his only sister's life, the whole concept of it was borderline masochistic.

He'd worry and worry but each time, Elia would give her brother a frail smile and reassure him with her own sad fantasies about the life she would give her children.

Elia no longer believed in those fantasies after giving birth to Elaena.

She had been called to court just after giving birth and the rumours that they'd came to take her children away surrounded her ears from day to night. She didn't want to think they were true; it was too painful a thought. But what other choice did she have?

Fearing for the girls health, knowing she couldn't help her especially in her condition, Elia secretly sent her to Dorne where some of her faith still remained. It was a decision she made behind the King's back since as far as his grace and everyone else was aware, the princess didn't survive the night. 

With the help of a falling star and a loyal handmaiden named Mila, the babe was smuggled out of the red keep in which Aerys locked her in and into Dorne where there were people who did care for her.

It was only 2 moons later, when her name day should have been, that her father, Rhaegar, was killed in battle by Robert Baratheon. It wasn't long after that her mother had been brutally murdered along with both Rhaenys and Aegon.

After that, instead of offering her up as the true and only living heir to the iron throne, Oberyn raised her as one of his bastard daughters- as Elaena Sand. He fed her, clothed her and armed her like she was his own, all the while teaching her about her true dynasty. After all, it was her birthright to at least know of her birthright.

Because of the misfortune that had befallen House Martell, no one dared to question the girls real identity- hardly anyone suspected a thing. Especially not the Lannister's.

Elaena didn't have many of the typical Valyrian features unlike her brother nor did she inherit her mothers golden eyes like her sister had. Aegon took after his father in many regards while Rhaenys was the picture of their mother, something which King Aerys never failed to criticise. 

Elaena was the mix of them both, a Dornish princess with fire in her eyes. Her uncle, Oberyn, would call her little Elia because of her smile which she got from her mother, but it was her eyes that made it easy to tell them apart. She had valyrian amethyst's for eyes. 

Growing up, Elaena was never regarded a queen per se. There wasn't anything really queenly about her. Like her mother, she was fragile both emotionally and physically and held a smaller stature than most her age. 

Unlike her mother, she wasn't sweet enough for people other than her family to swear fealty to her. She was bitter, jealous, stubborn and worst of all, she was naive. This only meant that she got into fights she couldn't get out of. No one liked to fight a losing battle except her as it seemed.

When put against her cousins, Elaena always came out as the weakest link. She very good at fighting and although she was smart she wasn't smart enough. She was however, pretty enough to be a princess like her mother but her harsh tongue and constant complaining didn't gain her any popularity among the woman folk. And secretly, everyone including Elaena knew that if she was put in charge of anything at all... well then... Jaime Lannister would have failed in killing the mad king.

It seemed as though there was nothing particularly special about the heir to iron throne apart from her name. And her eyes, they loved to remind her of her eyes.

But she knew she was special. She was the rightful queen and she would get her throne and raise the Targaryen dynasty from the dead no matter how long it took. She would do what she was meant to do because her precious uncle gave her faith.

Once her uncle ceased to believe in her though, so did she.

The princess no longer felt like she could become a queen. She realised that her claim didn't matter if she couldn't live up to the position. She wouldn't even have a claim as the youngest daughter if it weren't for her entire family being dead! 

So, at the tender age of 12, Elaena gathered a bag of gold, two stolen Valyrian daggers and her signature red cloak and got on board a merchant ship to Pentos. It was what she was good at after all. Running.

Instead of fighting a losing battle, the young princess chose her own purpose.

Vengeance. Justice. Fire & Blood.


	2. The King’s Feast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elaena arrives in Winterfell under suspicious circumstances.

1\. THE KINGS FEAST.

ELAENA ARRIVED AT WINTERFELL three days before the king had. She'd been passing though The Vale when she heard that Lord Arryn, the hand, had tragically died. It was also when she heard that the usurper, Robert Baratheon, was on his way north to presumably name Ned Stark as hand of the king. They were of course best friends who united together over the murder of her family so why wouldn't they work side by side together on the throne that they stole?

Things had changed over the 5 years since Elaena had left Dorne. Not with Sunspear; from what she could tell, they were still pretending to live in peace. It was she who changed.

When she was younger, Oberyn had told her to pick a weapon but it seemed that it didn't matter whether she fought with a sword or a crossbow or a spear— she was equally not good enough. The sword was too heavy for her and a crossbow required too much patience and she simply didn't like that the spear was as tall as her.

So, on her tenth name day, her uncle promised her a pair of long thin twin daggers forged from Valyrian steel— the Martell's ancestral sword: Sundance. They had not been used for decades with most of the Martell's preferring other weapons but the second Elaena saw them, she was in awe for days.

Elaena trained everyday in hopes of being worthy of the daggers. She kept promising herself that one day she would be as skilled with a dagger as her cousin Nym but as deadly with her hands as Obara was. She would be as knowledgeable as Sarella and as terrifying as sweet Tyene. She may have never been as good as they were but it didn't matter. For her weapon was neither the daggers or her hands nor poison of any kind. Her weapon of choice, as it had always been, was fire. In whatever form necessary.

Though Elaena knew that no matter what weapon she would choose, it wouldn't matter anyway. No one in Dorne could hurt her. She knew that they would always protect her and when it came down to it, they would lay down their life for her so choosing a weapon wasn't necessary. It wasn't like she would ever need to use it... or so she thought.

When Elaena had left Dorne five years ago, she had quickly discovered that the world wasn't quite as kind. She quickly discovered that she was in fact, alone. No one could save her now but herself. So she finally learned to fight, she learned to be ruthless and take from others before they could take from her. Most importantly, Elaena learned to kill.

The princess had settled with her handmaiden, Mila, in a small cottage in Winterfell which used to belong to an old blacksmith who due to unfortunate circumstances, was missing. Not that anyone really noticed. 

It wasn't long after that she was able to secure a place in the Stark household as a maid. She'd never been a maid before. Her handmaiden had followed her across the lands and continued with her duties and it was only in recent years that Elaena had to begin to learn to look after herself. Just barely. It couldn't be too difficult though. At least she hoped.

Nonetheless, this would be it. This would be how she enacted revenge for her mother, for her estranged siblings and for her namesake. At midnight on the night of the great feast, Winterfell would be up in flames.

—

The plan wasn't going quite as expected.

"Do I look like beautiful?" Sansa twirled around in her pretty little dress that she'd made and admired herself in the mirror. All the while, Elaena stood behind her with a handful of dresses stacked on her arm that were yet to be tried on. She always thought northerners were a little more rough about their appearance but the little bird seemed to want to be doted on like a true princess. She'd do well in the south.

But why Elaena of all people had been given the most time consuming and rather difficult task of waiting on the fussy 13 year old, she'd never understand. She had hoped to stay out of sight but somehow, the red head noticed her and within seconds, began to order her about.

The king had arrived that very morning and it was going to be time for the feast soon. Sansa, the eldest daughter of the Starks, had took one look at the prince and become completely smitten with him. It was why she was being so particular about what to wear to the feast that night.

"Very beautiful, my lady." She smiled politely.

"Thank you!" Sansa said gleefully not taking her eyes off herself. She looked through the mirror and observed her new hand picked handmaiden. She looked to be around her brother Robb and Jon's age and she dressed like a whore- that was what her mother would say. She wore the same clothes as the other serving girls but with her top button undone so a thin chain could be seen highlighting her neck. It was nothing like what she'd seen in the north. She obviously wasn't used to the weather, considering she'd turned blue about 15 times.

But it wasn't only the way she dressed that made her foreign. She talked differently too and had Sansa not been sharper than everyone deemed her to be, she may have not realised that her southern accent was merely a disguise. Her skin was of an olive tone meaning she may have come from anywhere from Essos to Dorne but she was certainly not a northerner. Her long hair was the colour of dragonglass and cascaded down her back, with a few strands framing her face almost perfectly. And then there were her eyes...

"You're pretty too" Sansa complimented graciously, "... for a common girl."

Gods be good. Elaena thought to herself as she wondered how much longer she would be able to put up with being insulted in her duties as a handmaiden. Patience wasn't a virtue that she owned, unfortunately.

"You honour me, my lady."

"Do you think the prince will like me?" Sansa asked as she took another dress from Elaena's arm and held it against her body.

I can't see why he would.

"I can't see why not."

Sansa gave her a stern look as if she was expecting something but Elaena didn't seem to quite understand.

"I can't see why not what?" Sansa hinted.

Elaena took a deep breath, "I can't see why not, my lady."

Sansa seemed satisfied with herself. If it wasn't for the fact that she already had a plan of action, Elaena would have enjoyed thinking up of terrible ways to torture the girl and put her in as much pain as she felt from listening to the little red heads voice.

"Come on!" Sansa snapped, "The prince will be expecting me and we still haven't even tried the silks yet!" Elaena turned her head to the bed where another pile of dresses lay and could only sigh helplessly.

—

Wildfire. That was how she would do it. It had took her an entire year to find a maester who could and would make it and then another few months to actually get enough.

Elaena was only supposed to burn Winterfell, those were her instructions and while she felt for the children, those children would grow up to be her enemies so she couldn't waste a thought on them either. The northerners had been and would always be her enemies, she just needed to keep reminding herself of that fact. How else was she supposed to stop herself from backing away again?

The king arriving in Winterfell was luck. She had been putting off burning it down for years but she knew that she would never get this window of opportunity again. 

She had heard that the mad king used wildfire to reign fear over the kingdom and while she knew he wasn't the most worthy of role models, using wildfire herself felt rather poetic— like she was finishing off his work. It made her feel both sick to the stomach and somewhat proud at the thought of it.

By the time the night had come, Elaena had already done most of what she needed to do. Wildfire caches had been placed beneath every tower in Winterfell. All she had to do now was light it up.

Elaena had become rather embedded into her role as a maid. She even stole one of the other maids dresses for her little game— it even had a pocket. The pretend maid had been instructed to fetch another barrel of wine for the king and his men and she would have to be lying if she said she hadn't thought about poisoning it. No, she told herself, it must be by fire.

As she filled the barrel, she watched Jon Snow demonstrate his swordsmanship on a poor sack using up as much of his anger as he possibly could. She wanted to make a comment about how the sack seemed dead already but alas, she bit her tongue.

Jon was to leave to take the black soon or so she'd heard. The boy had felt so alone and disassociated in his own home that he would retreat to the nights watch of all places for some kind of homely feeling. At least, that was Elaena's guess.

Despite not even having a full conversation with him, she had grown fond of Jon Snow- in a strange pitiful kind of way, so much so that she'd hoped he'd planned to leave tonight instead of just soon. It would be a shame to see him die when he'd barely gotten a chance to live thanks to Lady Stark.

Elaena had been watching him from afar since she'd arrived in Winterfell. She saw a lot of herself in Jon— a child hopelessly wandering around a place he was always told was his home but never was made to feel like it. Or maybe he was made to feel like it and the absence of a mother was too strong a loss and made every place feel out of place. 

It didn't help that Lady Stark was always cold to him either. It seemed as though she was courteous to everyone but the bastard even to those who actually had done her wrong like her own husband. Ned Stark, however, wasn't outright rude to him though Elaena still noticed the difference in the love he gave to his trueborn son and the love he had towards Jon. She wondered whether it was because he was ashamed of him or whether he was just scared of what his wife would say.

"Shit." Elaena cursed under her breath as she struggled to open the door to the hall with the barrel in her arms.

"Here." Elaena spun around in the direction of the voice which revealed itself to be Jon Snow. He carefully took the barrel from her arms and nodded towards the hall, "You hold the door."

She smiled at him and did as told before following him in. Jon looked to the table at the end of the room where the Queen and Lady Catelyn sat and he frowned. Elaena noticed the look of pure rage on Lady Stark's face as Jon and her walked to where the rest of the barrels lay. He wasn't supposed to be here which left Elaena wondering whether this was some kind of act of rebellion against her. Then again, Jon looked to be trying to ignore her more than anything.

"Thank you, my lord." She smiled as he set the wine down. It was then that Theon Greyjoy decided to walk over.

"He's not a lord, he's a bastard." He laughed heartily as he patted Jon's back. He didn't seem to have malicious intent in his words and spoke more as a matter-of-factly but Elaena couldn't decide which was worse. Even though she had spent a long time away from Dorne, she'd never understand why being a bastard was anything other than trivial. Jon on the other hand didn't seem hurt by the statement but he didn't look to be too amused either. He looked bored if anything. Bored of being a bastard.

"And what are you?" Elaena scoffed in an unladylike manner which shocked herself and the two boys beside her. Her eyes widened in realisation.

Seven hells. A maid, she was a maid. Maid's didn't talk back. Yet here she was completely failing at not acting like a normal girl who knew nothing of the world but to respect those who were seemingly more powerful than her.

Theon's once smug face was replaced by an angry shadow as he got closer to intimidate her but as soon as he did, he seemed to have the opposite effect, "I am Theon Greyjoy, heir to the kraken and and Lord Stark's ward and I will not be spoken to like..." suddenly he couldn't seem to find the right words which only led to Elaena raising a very unimpressed eyebrow at him "like..."

"Like like what?" She rushed him.

Elaena knew she was getting too comfortable too quickly but from her perspective, it didn't seem to matter. No one seemed to want to do anything about it. Perhaps Jon would have intervened had he not felt as though the situation was rather humbling for Theon and perhaps Theon would have shut her down immediately had he not been a fool.

"Like like without respect!" He snapped finally not realising he wasn't making much sense but at least Jon didn't look as bored anymore "Especially not by a silly serving girl."

"Oh my, you must be very important then." She teased inconspicuously, innocently fluttering her lashes, "To demand respect like like that."

For some odd reason, Theon read her sarcasm as an invitation to... invade. The boy stepped forward with a large smirk etched onto his face and he began to let his hands wander to places she didn't want them to "I am important."

Elaena's scrunched up her nose in disgust as her eyes followed his hands. She dared him to do what he thought he could. Go on...

"That's enough Theon." Jon finally spoke and pulled him away before he could touch her. The boy was about to object before he was once again interrupted.

"Theon." Another voice warned. The eldest Stark boy, the one who's name Elaena had forgotten, walked towards them with a stern look. When Elaena too turned around to face him, he noticed that she was rather pretty for a maid— enough to take a second glance but not a third. However, it was her eyes that really captured Robb's attention. They were so strange yet beautiful. A colour you'd only read about in books now. He was sure there was a word to describe them; it was just on the edge of his tongue...

Robb was used to Theon's antics. He'd grown up treating the boy like a brother and knew that he truly meant no harm but there were people present who wouldn't look at the situation with such rose tinted vision— the king, for starters. Theon reluctantly backed away. Robb was going to ask the girl with the pretty eyes if she was alright but Jon got there before him. She smiled in thanks at them and whispered a simple 'yes'.

"Pardon, my lords." Elaena nodded to the Stark boy's and then turned her attention to the heir of the kraken. "Theon."

The small insulting smirk that graced her lips as she took her leave with a handful of candles stacked on her arms, didn't go unnoticed to Robb who, by chance, took a third glance.

—

Everything was set. Caches of wildfire had been spread across Winterfell, each one close enough to set the other off and all that Elaena had to do was light the spark. Standing back, and looking up at the castles around her that in seconds, would cease to exist, Elaena felt almost proud. 

She knew this wouldn't be what her mother and father wanted for her but it was what she wanted for them. She, who was the sole survivor of the atrocity that befell her family, would finally be able to perform her duty and restore honour to the Targaryen name.

But that wasn't the only reason...

Elaena looked at the matchstick in her hands but hesitated just as she was about to light it. The fire would be lit from afar but it wasn't so far that it didn't run the risk of taking her life too and part of her wondered if she was ready to take that risk.

The sound of footsteps coming towards her interrupted her thoughts. Elaena groaned before hiding behind some trees. She watched as a man in a white cloak— a man of the kings guard— opened the door for one of the maids. They began to talk but Elaena couldn't hear what they were saying nor could she see their faces in the shadow of the night, not that it mattered to her. She just wanted them gone. 

But then, when the moon lit up their faces, Elaena saw something she found to be strange. It was such a small thing but it confused her massively...

The princess had gotten so caught up in watching them that she forgot to keep an open eye for anyone else that may see her so when she heard steps coming towards her, she got a bit of a shock to say the least.

Elaena swiftly turned and as soon as she did, she froze. A dog- no, a wolf, sat in front of her. It was a young pup, couldn't have lived for even a whole moon yet so it was hardly anything to be afraid of. But a wolf is a wolf. It could kill her within an instant if it wanted to.

She cursed herself. How had she been so foolish as to not know that the Starks kept wolves? Perhaps this was her punishment. Out of everything in the world, the one thing she was terrified of were dogs. 

Snakes and shadow cats scared her too but it was a dog that truly made her heart pound. While her cousins grew up being adept to many creatures of the wild, Elaena grew up becoming adept to trauma from said creatures due to her cousins subjectively harmless jokes that she was forced to endure as a child.

The wolf suddenly got up from its sitting position and began walking towards her. With every step it took forward, Elaena backed away until she tripped over something and was now sat against the edge of a building. Shit, shit, shit. The wolf began to creep closer and closer so she lifted up her dress, pulled out the dagger from her handy pocket and—

"Stop!" Elaena shot her eyes up immediately to see Robb Stark looking down at her. The baby beast ran up and blatantly attacked him but Robb didn't seem to mind. In fact, he was smiling! Smiling as the dog practically ate his face. "Seven hells! What were you going to do? Kill him?" His voice seemed to be cheerful and the accusation in jest despite it having some truth.

"No?" She replied as she snuck the dagger back into her pocket, lacking complete confidence in her own words. Robb's question was undoubtedly rhetorical but now he wasn't so sure as he creased his brows at her response. He finally recognised the girl. She was the one that Theon... well... the one with the pretty eyes. He saw her secretly downing a bottle of wine just a few moments ago at the feast and it made him laugh silently to himself.

"Are you alright?" He finally got to ask and offered her his hand. This time she didn't smile, she was still nervous about the presence of the wolf. Robb took no notice of her fear and instead his eyes were drawn to the cut on her hand which Elaena herself was unaware of. "You're hurt."

"I'm fine." She muttered snatching her hand away and instead using the wall to push herself up. She didn't mean to seem as rude as she did but her eyes hadn't left the beast.

"He won't bite." Robb insisted and only straight afterwards did he close his eyes in realisation that his statement offered no reassurance. Elaena looked at him expectantly with a raised eyebrow. Surely he wasn't so simple that she'd have to give him orders...

Thankfully, Robb sighed and got up. He pulled Greywind away and locked him in one of the stables before coming back to Elaena and sitting her down on a nearby log. Elaena watched him in confusion as he bent down in front of her to examine the cut on her hand which was still bleeding— quite a lot actually. It made him wonder how she was staying so calm.

He scanned the area around him before finally locking his eyes onto a piece of cloth wrapped around her head. "May I?"

"Oh..." She said when she finally realised what he was referring to and untied the cloth and handed it to him, letting her hair fall against her shoulders. He folded it up so it was a long rectangular shape and began to tie it around the cut. She watched him in wonder at the look on his face. He was so focused.

"You're not a serving girl are you?" Shit. Her immediate reaction would have been to run but, she knew better and he still held her hand in his so she didn't flinch at all and instead remained in her calm posture. Instead of thinking up an answer, Elaena wondered whether she should take her knife out and slit his throat before he could say anything else. It was probably the wine. "What are you doing here?"

The truth was always the simplest explanation and the simplest explanation usually gave no openings for many questions, she decided. "I wanted to see the king."

Robb nodded albeit not wholly convinced, "Did he live up to your expectations?"

"Not particularly." She said, still remaining cautious of his intentions. He just chuckled in agreement as he tightened the knot. 

"What's your name?" He asked suddenly.

"Mila."

"Where are you from?"

"Riverrun."

"You don't look like you're from Riverrun."

"My mother was from Essos."

"Where in Essos?"

"Volantis."

"Is that to the west or east of Braavos?"

"I couldn't tell you, my lord. I never learnt to read a map." Her narrowed eyes met his and both shared the same spark of contention. Every swift question was answered by a swift lie, even the ones he used to try and trick her. He was to be the warden of the north after his father, of course he was smart enough to be wary. Even so, she had still underestimated how smart he actually was.

"I apologise if I offended you." He finally said, breaking the tension, though Elaena knew his apology wasn't in the slightest bit sincere as he was still so obviously suspicious of her. He got up and sat beside her before gesturing her to give him the bottle of wine and she did. It was wondrous how she still managed to hold onto it. "I'm sorry for Grey Wind too. I know not everyone warms to direwolves."

Despite not trusting his intentions, she felt glad to receive that apology from him. For a second, she wanted to apologise to him for what was about to happen.

No, she told herself. She couldn't have regrets now. Ylsie wouldn't like that.

"I'm just not fond of animals is all."

"You're like Bran then. He'd cry every time he saw a horse." He smiled fondly at the memory and she smiled because of how prettily he smiled.

However it was then that she realised that she preferred the beard she saw on him when she had first arrived. It made him look slightly older. He appeared to be around her age which she knew to be young in comparison to everyone else. Too young. Too innocent. 

Her mind was wandering to dark thoughts about how this young boy with the pretty smile would become a memory himself. She began to think back to her own family, her uncle Oberyn. She thought about how disappointed he would be in her for punishing a child for it's father's crimes. She thought about how devastated they would be if she died. She thought about how devastated she was over the death of the family she never knew. She thought about the possibility that she may be creating another one of her. The princess just shook her head trying to erase any doubt and regret... she couldn't think of such things right now of all times. Just not now.

"Bran was 6 at the time though," he spoke again, her mind was still traumatised from her own thoughts so it took her a while to remember what he was talking about, "Whereas you are..." He gave her a pitiful look telling her she knew the answer and Elaena gaped at him. Was he teasing her?

Robb didn't know what the truth was but he knew she was still lying. If she wasn't then her face wouldn't have looked like a smacked arse. She definitely wasn't from Riverrun. She was the type to feel entitled to not being insulted like any nobleman or woman.

Robb began to laugh. Elaena's eye twitched in annoyance at the fact that he was just laughing at her. At first it was only a small chuckle but the confused expression on her face only made him laugh harder and harder until his sides ached. It wasn't all that funny but he couldn't stop it.

Is he drunk? She thought to herself.

Before long, she found that his small chuckle was catching onto her and she began to laugh too not knowing why. The girl was utterly confused but she couldn't help the giggles escaping from her lips.

Shit. She stopped laughing.

"I'm sorry, I have to leave." She said to him and quickly dismissed herself without another word. She could feel her cheeks becoming red and the pounding in her chest. If she stayed any longer, the guilt would have eaten her alive and she would be incapable of doing what she came here to do and that which she came here to do, needed to be done. For her family. For their justice. For the throne.

For Ylsie.

Robb watched her leave, unsure of what had just happened. One moment, they were laughing like children and the next she was couldn't wait to get away from him. Unfortunately for her, she had left something very important behind, something which made her look very suspicious in the eyes of Robb Stark.


	3. The Dragon’s Dagger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robb tries to stop the girl with the amethyst eyes from doing something terrible.

2\. THE DRAGONS DAGGER.

IT WAS A DAINTY little thing. The blade had been just as thin as it was light and he could barely feel the weight of it in his hands. It was long for a dagger but too short for a sword. If it were made of anything else then surely it would have snapped within it's first duel but it wasn't made of anything else, it was made of Valyrian steel. The infamously strongest steel in the lands. So many times had Robb admired his own father's Valyrian steel sword that it would be shameful for him to not recognise one like it.

The hilt was something else altogether. It was covered in intricate details of suns and snakes carved into the silver and in the center of it all, sat none other than a three headed dragon- the Targaryen sigil. Now why would a common girl from Riverrun own a Valyrian dagger with the Targaryen sigil on it?

Robb remembered being taught about the Targaryen's from a young age. About their silver hair and amethyst eyes. About the dragons and their riders. He even learned about the Targaryen madness that came from trying to keep the bloodlines pure...

Yet he was still never sure of what to really think of them. One one hand, they were great conquerors, their history was full of magic and dragons and kings and queens and it was no doubt that their lineage would be remembered as being great- maybe more so than any other great house in Westeros. 

On the other hand though, he could just as easily call them tyrants. The mad king burned his uncle, Brandon Stark and his grandfather, Rickard Stark alive and laughed as he did so. Rhaegar Targaryen was his fathers son and was known for the monstrosities he bestowed onto his aunt Lyanna. It was the reason for the war 17 years ago. 

If the Targaryen's were just about as mad as they were beautiful then it would mean the girl with the amethyst eyes could be doing something very dangerous while the king was in Winterfell. 

He'd been pacing around his room for an hour now. Perhaps he was getting too far into his own head and the girl wasn't a Targaryen at all. Besides, he was still recovering from the drinks at the feast and the Targaryens were all dead— they had been for almost two decades. He'd even asked Maester Luwin who was certain that all the Targaryens had been hunted down and any that did survive wouldn't have lived for long since they were lost in Essos. Surely someone would have found out about there being one wandering around Westeros and if he had noticed then someone else must have. 

If she really was who he thought she was then he could understand why she would lie. Robert finding out could easily lead to her demise since she'd have a target on her head. She was just protecting herself, really. Then again, why come here in the first place?

He debated on whether or not he should tell his Lord father but ultimately, decided against it. If Robb was to be Lord of Winterfell someday then he needed to begin making decisions in important matters without having to consult his elders. Otherwise, what would happen the day they weren't there to whisper in his ear and tell him what to do? 

He had to speak her first. 

—

Nothing. Again. 

Elaena groaned in frustration. Inconveniently, her moral compass decided to appear right in the last moment causing her to struggle to do what she set out to do. She took another swing of the wine she'd stolen from the feast before lighting the matchstick and trying again... except her hand was shaking now.

They say wine could give a man the courage to fly. Apparently, it didn't work so well on women though since she was still in the same place as before. Completely and utterly incompetent. She blew out the flame before it could burn her own skin and huffed before dropping the burnt out matchstick onto the ground.

She slumped down to the ground with her back against the tower wall— the one which she heard would be staying in and rubbed her arms. The night air had only gotten harsher on the princess' Dornish skin. She had stupidly undermined how cold the north really was even when she wore their clothes, she had undermined how difficult this simple task would be. Now, she'd suffer for it.

Damn you, Robb Stark, she thought.

She didn't care for the boy and after the way he spoke to her, she didn't particularly like him either. But she realised that it didn't mean she wanted him dead...

What she did want was for the usurpers to pay greatly for his crimes. Robert enjoyed striking her father down and Tywin Lannister didn't care that her brother and sister were innocent when he butchered them, did he? So why should she?

She was cowering away at the last second and went back on getting justice for her family because of her own stupid, selfish morals. She'd overestimated her own abilities yet again and failed completely in her mission. The anger hadn't gone, justice hadn't been served, her family was still dead and the ones who killed them sat inside enjoying their night while she was out in the cold losing one more thing she couldn't afford to lose— her pride.

Ylsie... she thought, Ylsie wouldn't like her change of heart. If she backed away now then Elaena would lose her only chance of getting the iron throne back for her family.

Her aunt and uncle couldn't possibly do it, they were half a world away and too easy to kill. No, their dynasty depended entirely on Elaena.

Burn them all and I will present you a crown, she remembered Ylsie saying. She looked down at the matchstick in front of her. And thousands would die for it...

Elaena groaned. Thinking about it made her head hurt which is why she never thought about it.

It felt as though everyone was able to move on. The king had moved on, the kingdom had moved on, Dorne had surprisingly moved on; even the birds and the trees went about their day as if there weren't still red clouds in the sky. Everyone but her. She didn't know anything but the hatred she'd felt for 17 years and she could do nothing to get rid of it.

If she burnt Winterfell down, she would carry the guilt of a thousand lives with her but if she didn't, she still carried the guilt of being unable to avenge her family. Either way, she would be the one to lose. The princess looked up at the night sky, trying to keep her tears at bay but they drowned her cheeks anyway.

A coward. She thought. A useless coward. That's what she was.

A roaring laughter interrupted her thoughts and it came from the hall. About half a dozen knights followed the fat lump of meat they called a king as he held three— no four—no five, five naked girls giggling in his arms along with him.

What a king he was. He spent his royal days eating and shitting and fucking and shitting and occasionally rewarding child murderers for their crimes. Robert Baratheon had killed her father and if that wasn't bad enough, he drove her aunt and uncle to Essos threatening to kill them if they ever landed on Westerosi soil. Gods knew what he'd do to her...

She'd heard the tales of the great stag who saved the country from the vicious Targaryen's but she never believed them. If he had been that great a man, he might have brought her family's killers to justice and she might have had some sort of peace of mind. 

She didn't know whether it was the wine or just her own ugly disposition but an anger bubbled inside of her that possessed her movements in that moment.

Ylsie said nothing about the king. What Elaena did or didn't do to him wouldn't matter to her. It only meant that whatever Elaena did do, was entirely on her own accord and for that... she was glad.

The princess slipped through the shadows and followed his satanic majesty through the halls of Winterfell until they reached a room at the end of a corridor. She stood about five feet away from him now. Oh how easy it would be... 

She watched on as even the knights squirmed and cringed through their metal helmets at the king's affairs. Her body tensed when she realised that Robert caught sight of her from the corner of his eye and for a moment, she thought she was dead.

"Come on! You too!" He laughed loudly and Elaena's eyes widened as one the knights shoved her forward. The king pulled the girl of ten and seven into his chambers along with the four other girls who still giggled like the imbeciles they were.

It was when one of the knights closed the door behind her that she realised she hadn't seen Jaime Lannister with the rest of the Kingsguard. He was... missing. She saw him in the dining hall at the feast so it was strange that he hadn't left when the king did. Surely he wouldn't have left him unprotected, would he? 

Elaena had managed to separate herself from the group of nymphomaniacs and cringed, feeling dirtier than before. The king's chambers were stationed in the far south wing of the tallest tower in Winterfell, right at the very top. They were actually rather big, especially for the North's standards. He had newly made curtains, the bed was of the finest wood, candles lit every corner of the room and then there was the fireplace. Elaena walked over and stretched her arms out to let her palms take up the heat of the fire. She closed her eyes at the familiar feeling of warmth in her hot blooded veins.

It was a while till all the girls had left, Elaena even had to scare one into leaving herself so she was alone with the king who now lay on his back with no purpose.

She finally retracted herself from the fire and took a seat beside him on the bed. The back of her hand traced his greying beard and went back up to rub his cheek with her thumb. He wasn't quite asleep yet and was still obviously drunk, busy murmuring something she couldn't quite make out.

"L.... Lya.... Na..."

She frowned. 

What was so special about Lyanna Stark that made kings and princes want to abandon their lives for her? 

Robert had 7 kingdoms, he married the most beautiful woman in Westeros and could have virtually anything he desired and yet... he whispered her name. Rhaegar had the princess of Dorne, was chosen as the rightful king of the seven kingdoms against his own father and had two beautiful children waiting for him and yet he threw it all away for a taste of Lyanna's lips... and a war erupted because of it. 

Elaena's heart ached for the queen now just as it ached for her mother when she first heard how Rhaegar betrayed her. She despised Robert just as much as she despised her own father or even more so since Robert still lived and breathed while she remained fatherless. How disgusting does one have to be to make a Targaryen to pity a Lannister?

The princess seated herself beside him which woke him up, just slightly. She placed a hand softly down on his cheek as she watched him snuggle into her palm. She softly hummed a mellow tune as her hand stroked up and down his face, his eyes often fluttering open before closing again.

"Look at my eyes," she spoke in a calm tone when she noticed him looking elsewhere, "Look!" She said more forcefully but still in hushed voice and when he did, he was mesmerised by the sea of violets. She leaned forward and with her forefinger, turned his chin upwards. "Hate comes in at the eyes." 

The king lay there like he couldn't move— completely paralysed and not knowing whether this was all a nasty dream or the faint nightmare called reality.

"Do you see him?" She asked, "Do you see him falling to the ground after striking him with your hammer? Do you see his blood seeping into the water? Do you see Lyanna's name on his lips as he takes his final breath?"

Her hand wraps tightly around the vase behind her which she'd found near the fire place and she raises it above his head. "I do. Every night."

A cheap death for a cheap king...

Her eyes scanned his grey ones for something, anything... a glimmer of fear or a drop of anger or perhaps just plain grief for the name he called out in his sleep, but there was nothing. The drunken man just broke out of his drunkenly daze and started to drunkenly laugh again.

The princess put down the vase, pushed herself off of the fat man and glared at him, her blood burning with rage. 

Killing Rhaegar was the last great thing he did and that was 17 years ago. That was the man she wanted to kill but the fat oaf had got their first. The mighty stag on the Trident that she's heard so much about was already dead and this oversized pig in front of her, had killed him. He had taken away her chance at revenge and for that, she decided she would not give him the satisfaction of death.

No, she would make him suffer first. Her eyes found their way to the fire and for a moment, she felt though she had been locked out of her own mind.

Just as Elaena was about to walk towards the flames, the door of Robert's chambers flung open.

"Told you there was one more!" A guard with a crooked nose and wispy brown hair on his top lip shouted to the others behind him before marching to Elaena and grabbing her by the arm, pulling her to the door, "Come on! I know what your kind are like."

Elaena scowled at him with sour eyes before looking back at the king she almost killed. She was just so close...

The guard with the crooked nose pushed her out of the room, making her almost trip and fall from the force. 

Elaena would have glared at that one particular guard for the entire time that she walked away but another one caught her eye. He was old but stood straighter than any of the others. Elaena quickly looked away when she realised who it was. If there was anyone who could recognise Rhaegar's eyes, it would be the man who fought beside him— Ser Barristan Selmy. 

Ser Barristan's eyes followed the girl, a frown etched onto his face as he tried to remember from where he knew her. If he knew her.

It was only after Elaena had turned the corner that she realised Jaime Lannister was still nowhere to be seen.

As Elaena ventured through the halls trying to find a way out and she had found some stairs which to her avail only lead to another set of corridors and corners. At one point, she could have sworn she heard someone but every time she turned around, no one was there. Yet she could feel a shadow stalking her every move. 

She tried blaming it on her mind but her pace quickened anyway and she began to walk faster and faster until she was practically running. She stumbled and fell and knocked things over as she got up but she still kept going.

Eventually she found a dark corridor to hide in. She peeked out from her spot but saw nothing...

Her body tensed up in shock when she felt a soft tap on her shoulder and she spun around.

Stark. It was only Stark's son, the one she couldn't remember the name of. She sighed, relieved that it wasn't one of the king's guards.

"Sorry," he apologised. As the sound of footsteps approached them, he quietly pushed her into a nearby room to which she frowned.

"You were in such a hurry to leave last night." He chuckled, taking a step towards her. She laughed nervously but before she could reply, he pulled something from behind his back, "I expect you didn't notice that you left this." 

Her eyes turned wide when he presented one of two twin daggers, the only things she had left of home.

"Oh... thank you-" Before she could take it from his hands, he swiftly turned around and closed the door in the process.

"The details on the dragons are beautiful," He said as he traced his fingers over the hilt "You must show me to the blacksmiths in Riverrun one day."

He knows. 

Nonetheless, she smiled at him, tight lipped and helpless "One day."

"But where did you get Valyrian steel from? I thought all that remained of it had been used to forge the ancestral swords of the great houses." When she couldn't give him an answer, the once welcoming pretence fell from his face into an unfriendly expression "Who are you?"

She looked down and took a few seconds to compose herself and that innocent pretence was back on, "My name is Mila Rivers, my mother worked at a mill in Riverrun and my father was a Dayne of Starfall. He fought alongside Rhaegar Targaryen in the war." She explained before nodding down to the knife in his hands, "That dagger you hold, is a gift given to my father by the late prince." 

Horseshit.

Her words held no real emotion and no real truth. It was like she had practiced this performance of hers a thousand times before. Yet, he couldn't challenge it.

Robb narrowed his eyes at her "You have an answer for everything don't you?" 

"Almost."

If it had come from virtually anyone else's mouth, he truly would have believed them but there was something about her he didn't trust.

"I don't believe you." He stated bluntly.

He remembered his mother saying that when people lied, they couldn't look you in the eye. Right then, her eyes pierced through his because she was a good liar. Even though she didn't smile with her lips, she did with her eyes which glimmered with amusement. This was all a game to her.

"No? That's none of my concern so if I could-" She reached for the dagger but Robb ended up catching her arm before she could grab it. The princess tried to free herself from his hold but gave up when she realised he wasn't letting go, "Fine. Enlighten me, Lord Stark— what do you believe?"

"I think you're a Targaryen." He told her bluntly, hoping to catch her by surprise. She stared at him for a second before laughing hysterically at him, making his accusation sound ludicrous but the young wolf wasn't about to back down just yet, "Your eyes, the sigil on your dagger, arriving here in time for the king and speaking nothing but lies since you stepped foot into Winterfell. Its rather obvious, don't you think?" The girl tilted her head to the side and raised her eyebrow mockingly which made it obvious to Robb that she was still more entertained than scared.

"I also believe you're trying to kill the king." Robb blurted out and that was when her face finally fell. He hadn't planned on telling her that and hoped to have talked to he properly before jumping to any conclusions. He intended to be subtle. He failed.

It was a wild, wild theory and she could easily brush it off as being part of his childish imagination. But it was also the truth.

Elaena bit her lip, "It all sounds a little mad, doesn't it?"

"Aye but it sounds a little more mad to call it all a coincidence." 

Now, he was the smug one.

Elaena paused. She looked down again and tears suddenly began to well up in her eyes. Without another word, she ripped the left side of her dress so her shoulder was bare causing Robb to furrow his brows in confusion. She tried to pull away from him again which only made his grip on her arm stronger.

"Please m'lord..." she whimpered and before he could say anything, the door to his chambers flew open. His father, his honorable father, stood there wide eyed at what he was seeing. He looked between the two of them and Robb automatically realised what it looked like and let go of her hand which appeared to be noticeably bleeding.

"I- I didn't..." Robb stuttered not knowing how to explain the situation to his Lord father who thought better of him. He expected this from someone like Theon even if it was at the lowest of his expectations but never could he imagine such acts coming from his own son.

"Go." Ned nodded to the girl. She left on the verge of tears and looking frightened while rushing past Lord Stark but when she glanced back at Robb halfway down the hallway, he could only describe her expression as... sinister.

Elaena, despite escaping the situation, could still feel her heart beating out of her chest. She was so close to having her facade being drawn down. As she walked down the hallway, she began to chew the nail on her index finger as she tried to think of some kind of solution that wouldn't require her having to see Robb again. 

And then there was the issue other dagger. She'd already lost one, how could she forfeit the other half to a Stark? Oberyn would be disappointed if he could see her now.

The smell of smoke made her look up and she swore she could hear a faint rumbling sound. It couldn't be...

"Fire! Fire!" A voice yelled from the opposite end of the hallway by which she came, confirming her theories. She spun around and noticed that both Robb and Lord Stark had ran out of the room and her heart began to race.

Robb looked back and immediately locked eyes with Elaena who had guilt plastered all across her face and he knew then that he'd been right.

The rumbling was getting louder, Elaena could practically feel the floor beneath her beginning to shake. She could hear Ylsie's voice in her head telling her to look up with pride, to save herself and let the rest of the world burn in front of her so Elaena didn't understand why instead, she was running towards Robb and Lord Stark. Before she knew it, she had pushed them back into the room and slammed the door behind them shut, desperate to avoid what was coming.

Robb frowned at the girl but before he could confront her, a sudden wave had thrown them all to the ground.

The initial blast had knocked Elaena out immediately but for a moment, her eyelids fluttered open.

This couldn't be happening...

Her body ached like it had been hit by a giant. She could barely move her limbs as her legs went numb. The echoes of her heartbeat pounding could be heard through every vein in her body until it found it's way to her head. Her eyes were just as weak as she tried to look around, immediately noticing how Robb and Lord Eddard lay unconscious.

She outstretched an arm towards them, using all the strength she had left in her body only for it to slump down to the ground again. She wanted to know that they were alive, she wanted them to be alive...

"Robb..." It had only came to her then, that was his name. It was the first time she'd tried it on her lips, noticing how oddly comfortable it felt before losing consciousness once again.

It was past midnight and not everyone in the town had suffered— only one tower, but that night there was a fire in Winterfell and Elaena could describe it as anything but great.


	4. A Promise Unkept

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elaena’s plan has backfired on her but she still refuses to admit defeat.

3\. A PROMISE UNKEPT.

IT WAS A GROSS miscalculation on her part. The pyromancer had warned her too, it's not ready, you'll get caught, but Elaena had been too impatient to listen.

The wildfire hadn't aged.

That had to have been it. There was no other reason why it should have failed so pathetically. But in the end, Elaena decided it was all Robb Stark's fault that the plan hadn't worked. He distracted her and manipulated her like the little bastard he was and completely ruined everything.

Besides, blaming Robb Stark was easier than blaming herself.

Thinking about it now, her plan would never have worked. The caches were too far apart, they hadn't aged and not everyone that she wanted dead was even here in Winterfell. Worse yet, that annoyance, Robb Stark, had survived and all thanks to her stupidity. Surely, it would have made more sense for Ylsie to send her to Kingslanding?

But she had demanded that it be Winterfell. It has the biggest castle, she had said but Elaena hadn't paid too much mind to her reasoning— they never did make much sense anyway. Besides, all Elaena cared about was seeking justice and if Winterfell was what it took then so be it.

Or she thought...

It wasn't as though Elaena wanted Winterfell to burn anyway— not anymore at least. She wasn't able to go through with it. Yet why was it only then that she almost succeeded?

The gods were spiting her.

Elaena had been pondering on it for the past few hours since she'd woken up in the same clothes she stole on a tiny bed settled in the cold black dungeons of Winterhell. Her dreamland. 

Her right hand was wrapped in a white cloth which smelled of chemicals. Elaena hadn't unwound the bandages but she could feel the stiffness of a scar but apart from a few bruises and the odd scratch, Elaena was actually fine. Someone had obviously tended to her but her body was already starting to heal itself naturally meaning some time had obviously passed. She just didn't know how much time exactly.

She sighed as she looked around, beginning to grow tiresome from listening to her own thoughts. She wished something would happen as she stared intensely at the door. She needed to speak to Lord Stark or perhaps Sansa or someone else that would be naive enough to believe her lies and just let her walk out. Anyone but Robb Stark who she still loathed.

And of course, the one bloody time that Elaena needed Ylsie on her back, she was nowhere to be found. She was the one who sent her to this dastardly place, the least she could do was get her out.

Perhaps this was another one of Ylsie's tests, Elaena mused to herself.

Elaena perked up when she heard the sound of voices echoing through the walls underground. She immediately laid back down, right where she woke up with her back turned to the door.

And she waited.

As they came closer, Elaena could hear them talking about the little lord who she assumed was referring to one of the Stark children. It was the same two girls who had been bringing her a tray of food down in case she woke up. Elaena heard as one of them unlocked the door before they walked in.

One gently put the tray down on the ground while the other walked to where Elaena lay. She was still unmoving, just as she had been for the past few days.

"What are you doing?" The one farther away asked.

"No good keeping her here if she's dead, now is it?" The other replied and pressed two fingers to Elaena's neck.

And that was when the viper struck. Within a second, Elaena had thrown the girl onto the bed and when she resisted, Elaena bashed her head against the wall, letting her fall to the ground in a pool of blood.

The golden haired one stared at Elaena with wide eyes. Elaena bent down and picked up a knife from the maid's pocket and pointed it at her.

"Don't act clever." She warned the girl who trembled in her spot while slowly holding her hands up. Elaena was almost satisfied but before she knew it, the girl reached into her own pocket and pulled out a knife of her own. Unfortunately for her, Elaena had thrown her knife at her just as she did, slicing a part of the girl's palms and making her let go of it. She tried to bend down and hastily pick it up again but she was pinned to the wall before she could.

"What did I just say?" She seethed at the girl. To Elaena's surprise though, the maid servant was much stronger than she had anticipated as the two began to push each from one corner to another. But to Elaena's credit, she was more desperate to get away as she eventually pushed the girl back causing her to trip against her friend and onto the bed. The girl didn't even have time to get up as when she looked up at Elaena, she was holding two knives.

"I don't want to kill you... but I will." She threatened through rugged breaths and this time, the girl didn't move when she pointed the knife at her. Elaena slowly walked towards her and held out her hand, "Your key." 

The girl rummaged through her pockets and was quick to hand it over. Elaena warned the girl to stay in her place as she walked out of the cell and locked the door behind her.

She put the key back into her pocket and got hold of one of the torches on the walls to light her way. Elaena allowed herself to finally smile, believing herself to be free as she crept through the halls of the dungeons... that was until she heard barking. She barely had anytime time to run as within a second, she was tackled to the ground, the torch in her hand being blown out almost immediately.

She whimpered and tried to move back but the wolf was so close and she was certain it wanted to eat her alive. She turned her face away from the wolves seething jaws, her eyes closed shut as she silently prayed that it did not come any closer.

"Down, boy." A voice told the dog who immediately obeyed and took a seat beside his master. 

Elaena opened her eyes as she looked up at him, a torch illuminating the face of Robb Stark.

"You as well." He told her when she tried to get up, prompting her to send him a hateful glare and yet, she reluctantly did as she was bid, fearing the wolf far more than the boy.

As Robb walked past her and into her cell where a dead body awaited him, the wolf kept a watchful eye over her. Elaena tried to give it the impression that she wasn't afraid but it only bared it's teeth at her, spit drooling down from its chin and Elaena knew then that if it didn't kill her with its teeth and claws, it certainly would with it's breath.

She could hear Robb unlock the door before whispering something to the girl inside. She nodded before quickly scurrying away as Robb came back and stood in front of Elaena.

He hated her. She could see it in his eyes as he glared down at her without saying a word. It was almost deafening.

Elaena tried to give him a sheepish smile which was certainly not reciprocated, "Look... I realise we haven't exactly gotten off on the right foot—"

"You tried to burn down my home." Robb stated bluntly and Elaena closed her eyes. Damn the Starks and their inability to be anything but direct.

"No—"

"No, you didn't try to kill us all or no, that dead girl in there wasn't your doing?" Robb asked with raised brows.

Elaena sighed in exasperation, holding onto her patience for dear life, "I'll tell you everything." She proposed and Robb frowned, obviously not convinced, "About— about the fire and— and the King and... me! I'll tell you everything about me." 

Robb seemed uninterested in what she had to say and more interested in ways he could kill her with his eyes as even the wolf growled at her. She eyed Robb and quickly realised this needed to addressed carefully— as careful as fire could be anyway, "And about your brother..."

That seemed to pique his interest as his eyes widened, desperate to know more, "What do you know of Bran?"

She remembered hearing the two girls talking about it when they came down, something had happened to one of the Stark boys. She hadn't paid much attention but she remembered that much.

Elaena tried to hold back her smirk, "No answers for free."

The wolf barked at her this time and she swore to herself that if he did that one more time, she would take her chances and wrestle the beast to the ground.

Robb studied her for a second before folding his arms, "I'm not letting you go."

"Obviously," Elaena said, regaining some of her confidence and standing up so she was level with him, "That would be stupid, although not unlike you Starks." She had muttered the last part.

"What was that?"

"Nothing." Elaena gave him a tight lipped smile and he hummed knowingly before clearing his throat.

"Go on then, state your offer." Robb ordered and Elaena's face immediately softened as she looked down and began to fiddle with the skirt of her dress.

"There's a woman in a house on the edge of Winter town. She's old and sickly and can't see very well and I don't think she can look after herself," she told him, her tone filled with so much genuine worry that Robb might have actually believed she cared. She looked back up at him with sad eyes, "I just need you to check that she's alright." 

Because Ylsie certainly wouldn't.

"That's it?" Robb asked, half expecting her to order him to kill someone for her, "Is this some kind of trap?"

Elaena rolled her eyes, "Send someone disposable if you're so worried!"

"No one is disposable." Robb insisted, disgust evident in his tone, making Elaena groan.

"Fine, ask for her name." She told him, "You'll know I'm not lying then."

—

Mila was an elderly woman of almost 50 years but her affliction made her look older as she lay on a bed waiting to die. It was just as the Targaryen girl had said.

Her complexion was dark and greyish, her hollow face and sagging skin showing just how unhealthy she was as a grey cloth wrapped around her head covered the the little hair she had left. One of her eyes was caved in on itself and the other had a glossy look to it; Robb could barely see the colour it might have once held. 

When she began to cough furiously, Robb practically ran to her side and urged Theon to give him some water.

"We're going to need a carriage, do you think you can find one?" Robb asked Theon as he passed him the skin which the Stark held to Mila's lips.

"Course but... why? You don't mean to..."

Robb nodded in affirmation, "We're taking her back with us."

—

When Robb had arrived back that night, he told Elaena that Mila was well and safe at Winterfell. Elaena then, upon hearing that Mila was here, demanded to see her, saying that she wouldn't tell him what he wanted to know otherwise.

Mila was a little less than well. She looked more sickly than Elaena had ever seen her. As much as Elaena hated to admit it, her old companion had become more trouble than she was worth. It would have been easier to just kill her and be done with it than keep lugging her around but that's what Mila had done with her for her entire life so she at least owed it to her to return the favour.

But right now, in this moment, Elaena could barely look at her without feeling sick to her stomach. She looked so unwell that Elaena wasn't sure that she'd have been able to tell the difference between Mila's living breathing body or a lifeless rotting corpse.

Elaena nodded at Robb, telling him that she was satisfied before they left the room. Robb couldn't help but notice the look on Elaena's face— it was as though she had seen a ghost!

"Are you alright?" He asked sincerely.

Elaena looked up at him, still slightly shell shocked as she tried to regain her composure, "Yes, fine."

Robb nodded as they continued to walk back to her cell with Robb in front and Theon walking behind her and the wolf not too far away.

She wondered what would have happened if she had taken her chance to run again. Would he have taken her by force back to the dungeons or perhaps simply just slit her throat? That was what she would have done in his position.

No, the Stark's were different. They were honourable, some might say to a fault. The corners of her lips tugged upwards at the thought that they might have just let her go out of honour and kindness and whispers from their tree gods.

"What is it?" Robb asked, noticing her smile and snapping Elaena out of her thoughts.

"Nothing," she quickly lied. He eyed her warily before turning his attention back to the road causing Elaena to roll her eyes at him.

As they walked through the halls of Winterfell, Elaena noticed how empty the halls were. Had the king already left? Was that why?Robb would nod and greet each servant that passed by. The girls giggled when he spoke to them and called them "my lady" and Elaena was forced to watch in disbelief. It's not like Robb was a god for him to be worshipped this much. He wasn't kings blood like she was...

She examined his face closely. So serious, so... gallant. She noticed how he had a ghost of a beard growing on his face which made him look more like a man. The common women must fall at his feet when he looked their way. His men must think of him to be great and honourable— he did have the look. But not her. Elaena knew what Robb Stark truly was.

He wasn't a boy trying his best to follow in his father's footsteps, rather a man— a cunning man, forming his own legacy in the shadows where no one would know until it was too late. He proved this the other night when he gently took her bleeding hand and used it to trap her into confessing that she wasn't who she seemed to be and again when he locked her away until she confessed except this time, his tactics wouldn't work. Though she could admit that both were smart moves on his part, she refused to think them smart enough for her.

The other night was such a blur and she was certain that she'd been drunk for most of it. She cursed herself for being so reckless and nearly getting caught on what felt like a thousand separate occasions and then actually getting caught in a situation that she herself had created. If she were to put it frankly, she would say that she had fucked herself in the arse.

Now here she stood in Winterfell, not in a blaze of glory, but at the mercy of a Stark. She thought about how her father's stupid whore must have been laughing at her from beyond the grave. 

"Your name?" Robb asked once they had reached the dungeons where Theon stopped there, serving as a lookout for them.

She bit her lip for a second, ready to tell another lie, "Elaena." She said, deciding on the truth. Robb narrowed his eyes at her. What he really wanted to know was if she was a Targaryen. "Just, Elaena."

Though, she wasn't about to tell him the whole truth.

Eventually, the Stark boy decided he was satisfied with that answer and nodded. He still retained his suspicion over Elaena but was starting to warm to the idea that he could possibly be civil with her. He even offered her his hand when they came to a series of steps and Elaena, though hesitant at first, took it.

"I could kill you right now." Robb said as soon as the door closed behind them, making Elaena's eyes grow wide if only for a moment.

"So do it," She challenged, "And by tomorrow, you'll be at war."

Robb stopped dead in his tracks and turned to face her. A smirk rose up on her face from seeing the appalled look on his.

Elaena gave him a once over, "Maybe I'll kill myself just so I can laugh at you from beyond the grave."

"You're mad."

"Perhaps... or maybe I just have the balls to do what you can't." 

Robb's confusion only lasted for mere seconds as Elaena tried to hit him with the chain around her wrists. Luckily for him, he'd managed to duck in time, giving him the chance to grab her hands and hold them behind her back. Elaena struggled but Robb was much stronger than her, leaving her attempts to no avail.

"Before you try to kill me again, you might at least want to hear what I have to say first." Robb muttered into her ear. She looked to him from the corner of her eyes with curiosity.

Robb hesitantly let go of her and stepped back, watching her warily to see if she'd make another move. She didn't and they began walking again, this time with Elaena in front.

"Your ancestors burned mine alive. In cold blood." Robb started off— rather badly, Elaena might add, "Our houses have never been natural allies, I know that but it doesn't mean we have to be enemies. Not if you tell me truth."

There it was. That condescending tone every good man seemed to hold. 

It was true that she was going to burn his home down but he didn't know that for certain so in her personal opinion, there was no reason for him to take the moral high ground so quickly and so willingly.

The princess didn't look at him when her face pulled into a wry smile, "Is that why you have me in chains? So we can be natural allies?"

"You know exactly why that is," Robb told her bluntly but she didn't flinch, "Your friend on the other hand— I'll help her because it is right."

"Because it's right." She repeated softly, "Lyanna Stark ran off with Rhaegar Targaryen. That is why your uncle and grandfather were burned. It was also the reason for the war 17 years ago which ended with dead Targaryen children. But I'm sure your aunt was just doing what was right." 

Robb stopped in his tracks and gave her a look of disgust, "She was kidnapped and raped! None of that was her fault!"

She laughed dryly as if the pain and misery that his late aunt was supposedly subdued to was music to her ears, "Oh really? The famously wild Lyanna was kidnapped and raped by the noble and gentle Rhaegar?"

Robb raised an eyebrow at the idiotically brave suggestion, "Lyanna was also betrothed to Robert, she wouldn't have broken that vow. Stark's don't break their vows."

Elaena looked through him with dead eyes for a few seconds before finally shaking her head. 

Fool. She thought.

"No, of course not." She agreed bitterly and started walking again with Robb following her this time, "Do you know what I know of Stark's?"

Robb sighed, knowing he would regret asking, "What?"

"You're pretenders." She stated bluntly, "You talk of honour and truth and justice but where was your honour when the Targaryen children were murdered for the crimes of two men. Instead of demanding justice then, you cowered at Roberts feet." 

Robb clenched his jaw at that comment.

"You're honourable when it suits you, you're savages when it suits you and you'll break a vow if it suits you. You truly are akin to wolves. They lurk and hide in the shadows and only come out when it suits them."

She held her head high and proud, "But a dragon doesn't. A dragon won't hide it's fire or it's beauty. It reigns over the lands and stands proud of it's greatness no matter what the lesser men think."

Her voice was fierce in a way he sort of admired. But in other ways, he thought her to be full of shit.

"That's all well and good except you're not one to talk, are you, your grace?" He challenged as they arrived at her cell, "All you've done is lurk and hide."

Elaena just smiled and pushed the door open with one arm, "That's because I'm not a dragon."

Robb could only watch as the door shut in his face. He wondered how it was that she could say such preposterous things one second and go back to being so clever and coy the next? She hadn't even kept her promise and worst yet, she knew full well that she didn't have to.

—

"So you don't know her name or where she's from or anything about her?" Theon questioned— he didn't seem to recognise the girl from the night before. 

Theon and Kyra were the only ones that Robb had told about Elaena. He told sweet Jayne as well but she had unfortunately met her demise just a day ago at the hands of the caged animal who went by Elaena.

She wasn't the first person that Elaena had killed either. The explosion which happened almost a fortnight ago now, took out various servants and nobleman alike— 9 to be precise with another 16 who were injured. It came from beneath them and those who resides on the lower levels of the tower were the ones who lost their lives while others were left with burns and scars while the king himself was sleeping tight on the highest level of the tower. 

Robb and his father may well have been among those 9 if it wasn't for the fact that Elaena had taken the brunt of the damage. In a way, she saved them but it didn't make Robb feel grateful. Why should he thank her for something which she may very well have been the cause of?

The king took it as an assassination attempt on his life which was exactly why Robb had locked Elaena away. Robert would have had her killed the second that he saw her eyes. Though Robb himself did not trust Elaena, he didn't want to see her fall subject to an unfair trial. This event occurred in Winterfell so it should be dealt with in Winterfell.

Robb thought quietly to himself for a second until he finally settled on an answer.

"I know she doesn't like wolves?" Robb said, "And I do know her name, I'm just not sure if it's her real one..."

"Right." Theon nodded, just as confused about the situation as before, "You know you don't have to marry her, right?"

Robb's eyes widened in shock.

"What are you talking about?!" He cried out.

"Look, I know you're supposed to be honourable and all but whores are whores because you don't have to honour them. It's the opposite actually, you're supposed to dishonour them." Theon explained, rather sincerely.

"She's not a whore!" Robb protested to Theon who seemed wholly unconvinced, "And I didn't dishonour her and I am certainly not trying to marry her!"

The Greyjoy stopped in his tracks, "She's with child, isn't she?"

"What?" Robb was in even more disbelief than before.

"That's why you haven't told your Lady Mother! She's threatening to spill all your dirty secrets if you don't give her a massive bag of gold! That's why you have her locked up!"

"No! Have you gone mad?!" Robb cried, completely ignoring how elaborate that theory was before noticing the look that Theon was giving him. 

"What then?"

Robb took a deep breath, "Look, if I tell you this, you can't tell anyone, do you understand?"

Theon shrugged nonchalantly, "Alright."

"I mean it Theon."

"Alright! I won't!" Theon insisted, "I swear it by the old gods and the new."

Robb narrowed his eyes at his friend, even more distrusting of him than before, "Swear it by the drowned gods."

"What?" Robb gave him a pointed look and Theon sighed before he mockingly held a hand up and solemnly said, "I swear it by the drowned gods. What is dead may never die."

Robb was satisfied enough with that as he pulled Theon to a corner and looked around to see if anyone was watching them, "I think she might be the daughter of prince Rhaegar."

Theon stared at him for a while and Robb couldn't tell whether it was shock or he just didn't hear what Robb had said as he waited for a response. Robb soon got what he wished for though as Theon burst into fits of laughter.

"Is that— is that what she told you?" Robb went stone faced as Theon patted him on the shoulder, "They're getting creative these days, aren't they?"

"She's not a whore and its what she didn't tell me that gave me that impression." Robb insisted, "And what she did."

Theon's laughter died down, "What do you mean? What did she do?"

"I think she started the fire," Robb deadpanned and this time, Theon actually was shocked, "And she knows something about Bran's fall too."

"So what are you going to do?" Theon asked seriously.

That... was a good question.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let me know what you think so far!


End file.
